A pang of sadness hit me as I realized how much time had passed. “I wrote to Tyler,” I said, my voice cracking. “Every single day, I wrote, begging him to visit. But he never did. I thought… I thought maybe he didn’t want me anymore.”
James’ face darkened for a moment, and I saw his jaw tighten. “Mom, I need to tell you something,” he said quietly. “Before I came here, I went to see Tyler. I found him at his apartment, and… I asked him about the letters.”
My heart skipped a beat. “You… you did? What did he say?”
James hesitated, his eyes filled with regret. “He said he never got them,” he said softly. “But Mom, I think he was lying. He seemed… off. When I asked why he hadn’t visited you, he got all defensive. He said he was too busy, had a lot on his plate, but I could tell there was more to it.”
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I fought to hold them back. “He used to visit me every week,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “And then, one day, he just stopped. I kept writing, hoping he’d change his mind, but…”
James reached out and took my hands, squeezing them gently. “I’m so sorry, Mom,” he said. “I wish I’d known sooner. I should have been there for you.”
I shook my head, trying to stay strong. “It’s not your fault, James. You had your own life. I just… I don’t understand why Tyler would ignore me. What did I do wrong?”
“No, Mom,” James said firmly. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Whatever’s going on with Tyler, that’s on him. But I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
His words warmed my heart, a feeling I hadn’t had in so long. After two years of feeling abandoned, finally, I had James. “Thank you,” I said, my voice shaking. “I missed you so much.”
James smiled, and this time, it reached his eyes. “I missed you too,” he said. “And I’m not going to let you be alone here anymore.”
We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up. For the first time in years, I felt like a part of my family was back. James asked about my health, how I spent my days, and I could see how much he cared. It was a far cry from the silence I’d endured from Tyler.
As we sat in the small lounge, sipping tea, James suddenly turned serious. “Mom, I don’t know what Tyler’s been going through, but I’m going to find out,” he said. “If he’s been ignoring your letters on purpose, there’s a reason. And if he’s in trouble, I want to help him — but he can’t keep treating you like this.”
I nodded, not sure what to say. I still couldn’t wrap my head around why Tyler had cut me off, but I was grateful James was willing to dig deeper. “Just… be careful,” I said softly. “I don’t want any trouble.”
James squeezed my hand again. “I’ll be careful,” he promised. “But I’m not going to let him get away with this easily.”
A few days later, James came to visit again. I could tell from his face that he had news. “I talked to Tyler,” he said, sitting down across from me. “And I found out what happened.”
I held my breath, bracing myself for whatever was coming. “What did he say?” I asked.
James hesitated, as if searching for the right words. “Mom, Tyler was really struggling. More than anyone knew. He… he’s been dealing with some serious problems, mainly depression. He didn’t want you to see him like that, so he started avoiding you. But when I asked about the letters, he finally admitted he got them. He just… he couldn’t bring himself to reply.”